By Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO

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​ “Today’s FDIC proposal to review and refine capital rules for community banks is a step in the right direction that acknowledges what our members already know. Some of the current capital requirements are keeping banks from fully serving their customers and communities, while contributing little to safety and soundness. We appreciate the FDIC’s willingness to engage in this review, and we urge regulators to undertake similar commonsense efforts to refine capital rules for all banks.

“Maximizing the full range of bank resources, within an efficient and effective program of prudential regulation, will benefit both bank customers and the broader economy. The proposed provisions affecting commercial real estate will require careful evaluation to ensure they achieve the goal of encouraging business lending — especially to small businesses. We look forward to working with the FDIC and other regulators on this proposal and other sensible reforms, including recommendations from Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s June report that would allow banks to continue playing their important role in accelerating economic growth.”

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The American Bankers Association is the voice of the nation’s $17 trillion banking industry, which is composed of small, regional and large banks that together employ more than 2 million people, safeguard $13 trillion in deposits and extend more than $9 trillion in loans.